Syrian official says historic synagogue looted

Emir of Qatar Sheik Hamad Bin Khalifa Al Thani, center, attends the opening session of the Arab League Summit in Doha, Qatar, Tuesday, March 26, 2013. Syrian opposition representatives took the country's seat for the first time at an Arab League summit that opened in Qatar on Tuesday, a significant diplomatic boost for the forces fighting President Bashar Assad's regime. (AP Photo/Ghiath Mohamad)

DAMASCUS, Syria (AP) — A Syrian antiquities official says a historic Jewish synagogue in Damascus has been damaged and looted as clashes between government troops and rebels have consumed the surrounding neighborhood.

Maamoun Abdul-Karim, head of the Antiquities and Museums Department of the Syrian Culture Ministry, said Monday that objects from the Jobar Synagogue were stolen last year, but that officials haven’t been able to visit the building for months because rebels control the area.

Activist videos posted online last month show damage to its walls and roof that appears to have come from shelling. The videos appeared authentic and corresponded to other reporting by The Associated Press.

The synagogue was built in honor of the prophet Elijah. A plaque near its door says it dates to 720 B.C.